The Predators acquired Wayne Simmonds from the Philadelphia Flyers the day of the trade deadline in exchange for Ryan Hartman and a conditional fourth-round draft pick. While this wasn’t a trade that set off fireworks in Smashville, it made sense on paper.
With a struggling team power play, it seemed like a wise move to bring in someone with Simmonds’s power play experience. Coach Laviolette’s familiarity with Simmonds from their days together in Philly made him a known quantity. Simmonds has had four 20-goal seasons, so a little offensive bump seemed possible.